I Dream Of Mab
by KnightOfGreenIsles
Summary: ON HIATUS. Mab is trapped in the dimension of non-existence. But when she finds a magic lamp with a seemingly innocent genie inside, will she get lucky and escape? And if she does, will there be a price to pay? Rating may rise. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

I Dream Of Mab

A Merlin Fan Fiction

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_Merlin is owned by Hallmark Entertainment_

_This is set after the original movie. Merlin's Apprentice is non-canonical in this alternate universe_

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Chapter 1

Was Mab alive? Or was she dead? The question echoed through Merlin's mind for the rest of his life.

The truth was, she was neither. She had ended up in a place that she couldn't imagine. She was dressed in the same clothes she had been wearing when she had disappeared and lying on a cold, dark and lonely floor. She awoke to find herself staring round at the rest of the room. There was no way she could escape. There were no walls, no doors and not even any water. High above her, the ceiling stretched

"Fantastic, just how I imagined death" she rasped sarcastically and pulled herself to her feet. She was surprised to find just how easy it was. She almost fell over because of what little gravity the room seemed to accommodate. She decided that standing in one place was going to do her no good at all so she decided to start walking. She walked for days, months, years and found nothing. She was never tired, never hungry and never highly motivated so she completely lost all track of time.

About fifteen years after she had disappeared from the human world, she found something she had never expected to find. Another person. Well at least it looked like a person. Mab wasn't entirely sure what she was looking at was human. His features were degraded far beyond accurate recognition. It was obvious that the thing was dead though. Mab didn't need to know his species to know that. She laughed out of the irony of the matter. He was probably some misguided magician that had used the wrong spell and got sent to the world of non-existence as she affectionally called it. Well given that Mab's emotional range was limited, it was nothing short of a crass comment.

She also discovered something else. A bag made of grey cloth tried up with green twine. At least Mab hoped it was twine. It reminded of her of when Frik used to sneeze. She also was reminded of how she used to kick him every time he did it. She smiled for the first time in fifteen years as the thought of Frik flying into the lake screaming as he hit the water. She untied the bag cautiously and took out its only object. It was a golden oil lamp decorated with jewels on the lid and silver inscriptions on the side. It was dented in several places and the handle was slightly tarnished.

"What luck, I can make a fire" she said to no-one in particular. She tried to pour some oil from the lamp onto the creature's body but none came from it. Mab found this quite peculiar as it seemed fairly heavy to her. She saw that it was covered in grime on the one side. Grabbing the hem of her dress and falling over in the process, Mab rubbed the grime off the lamp with such force she got a friction burn on her wrist.

Suddenly, the lamp began to shake. Mab dropped it in shock and tried to use her magic to defend herself. Of course she couldn't do that because she didn't have magic anymore. She swore quietly to herself and looked on as white smoke poured from the lamps spout and formed into the head, torso and arms of a blond tan skinned man with a turban on his head. Where his legs had been, there was nothing more than a trail of smoke which went back into the lamp.

"Mab, former queen of the old ways, you have released the genie of the lamp. I shall now grant you three wishes" the man-like being said and bowed graciously. Mab had seen genies before. She couldn't believe she hadn't realised that the lamp she had found was a magic lamp. She made a mental note to kick her own arse later on. She also knew that they were not to be trusted.

"I don't think so" she said defiantly. The genie looked confused.

"Surely you jest me mistress?" He said aloud.

"I do not jest, you overgrown expellation from a smokers lung" Mab spat.

"There is no need to be personal mistress, I only desire your happiness" The genie replied courteously. Mab wasn't fooled. She had seen this trick a million times. Pretending to be so friendly and then as soon as the opportunity arose, stabbing her in the back.

"You say that now, but when your wishes are granted you will not be so benevolent" Mab countered.

"Well until then, what is your first wish" The genie asked her.

"I do not require anything. How did a powerful genie such as yourself cease to exist in the first place" Mab rasped. She knew for a fact that genies were one of the few magical races on Earth that still existed in large numbers due to the number of legends and myths that surrounded them.

"My last master wished that no-one would miss him when he was no longer alive, so I made him cease to exist. Alas I have been stuck here ever since because the stupid man was carrying the lamp in the bag when he disappeared. That stupid rule about everything that the person ceasing to exist touches when they disappear also ceases to exist" he explained.

"Tough break" Mab sneered.

"Surely you had best wish for something mistress. It can do you no good being outside of existence for all eternity without having something to pass the time" the genie reasoned.

Mab thought for a second. He was right. There was nothing, literally nothing in this world to do. One wish couldn't hurt. But she would have to make sure that it was watertight.

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_What will Mab wish for? Will she or the genie ever escape the dimension of non-existence? Find out in the second chapter of 'I Dream Of Mab'!_

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2009 kingheartroxas


	2. Chapter 2

I Dream Of Mab

A Merlin Fan Fiction

* * *

_Merlin is owned by Hallmark Entertainment_

_This is set after the original movie. Merlin's Apprentice is non-canonical in this alternate universe_

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Chapter Two

Mab was silent for a few hours thinking everything through. The genie had fallen asleep, well pretended to. It was just another trick to piss her off she thought. She kicked the lamp and the genie woke from his fake slumber and stood to attention. Well as well as he could with no legs.

"Have you decided on your first wish?" The genie asked her.

"I wish that we were out of this world and existed once more"

The genie smiled. He liked the way Mab thought and he could do as she asked. Although he would have to make a few changes. He clicked his fingers.

"Your wish is granted" the genie said and there was an enormous flash of light.

Mab felt as if she were being filled with energy and at the same time being drained away. Then just as soon as the light had come, it was gone. But something was wrong; she had no magic, no power and no idea where she was.

"What the hell have you done?" Mab asked the entity. The genie looked falsely innocent for a second.

"I merely made you exist once more. You did not say where and you did not say how you wished to exist. Because your magic exists no more, I made you human" he explained.

Mab looked as if she were about to rip his head off. The genie sensed the danger and quickly returned inside his lamp.

"You did WHAT?" she screamed.

She ran over to the lamp and grabbed it by the handle and shook it vigorously.

"You bastard!" she yelled and dropped the lamp on the floor. Mab had expected the lamp to bounce but fortunately it had. Before she could move, a tornado of smoke came out of the wreckage and formed into the genie, now with solid legs and a very angry look on his face.

"Why did you do that?" The genie asked her with absolute fury in his eyes. There was not a blink of benevolence in his voice or in his body language.

Mab for one of the only times in her life was scared beyond reason. There was no knowing what he would do to her.

"I did you the favour of getting you out of that place and you treated me like a slave!" The genie spoke, each syllable rising in volume.

"Well guess what Mab, I'm sending you back there and with no powers, you'll be gone in no time at all" he spat and clicked his fingers. Mab felt that the feeling again and was surrounded by light. A few seconds later, she was back in the dark room and she was losing her consciousness, she could feel it. A projection of the genie was in front of her.

"Now Mab, you can suffer how you should" The genie said firmly. Mab looked at him and pleaded with him for mercy with her amethyst eyes.

"Please I beg you, I'll do anything. I wish to be out of here and to have powers again. Without powers I am nothing" she croaked. The image of the genie considered.

"Any powers?" he asked her.

"Anything just please get me out of here" she pleaded.

"Your wish is my command" he said and clicked his fingers.

Mab was suddenly back where she had been on Earth a few moments before. She existed once more and she had magic again. But there was something wrong. She could not use the magic for herself. Even though it was beyond measure. She walked over to the nearest pool and looked inside it.

She saw something that made her stomach drop. She was wearing her usual dress, but it had been transformed, twisted into something that resembled a harem girl's dress. She turned to face the genie who was standing there with no turban, legs and clothes that would have resembled something that a peasant would have worn in her time.

She also noticed that his lamp was nowhere to be seen and that he held a purple metal bottle in his hand with a crystal stopper stuck in the top. The bottle was encrusted with jewels and engraved in languages she could not understand.

"Well well Mab, it seems that you have the power you desire" The genie said to her.

"Yes, but why can I not use it?" Mab asked him.

"Simple Mab, you desired powers and you didn't specify what powers, so I gave you mine" He replied with a smirk on his face.

Mab realised with sudden disgust and disbelief what he meant. He was human now with no magic at all. He had transferred his power to her. She could not say it to herself. It was pointless to question it, she knew that no matter how impossible it seemed, it was true. Mab was now a genie.

The ex-genie smiled his most evil smile yet. Mab looked at him with more anger and hatred than she had ever done to anyone in her life. The ex-genie tutted.

"Is that any way to look at your new master?" He scolded sarcastically.

Mab said the next sentence before she thought of the words.

"No master"

It was like spitting poison from her lips. She slapped herself on the face and regained her composure.

"I guess I should introduce myself. After all, you will be listening to my every will from now on. My name is Zardane" said the ex-genie.

Mab didn't look at him. It didn't matter now she knew his name. All she knew was how much she hated him and wanted to punch him until he bled. But she somehow knew that a genie could not harm his or her master no matter what they did to him or her.

It suddenly occurred to Mab that Zardane had said his every command. She suddenly realised that he was right. He had tricked her into thinking she had three wishes when in fact, she could have had as many as she desired. More cannon fodder for the eternal hatred, she thought to herself.

Zardane then held up the bottle. Mab looked at it with dread; she knew exactly what was coming.

"Now genie, into your bottle" Zardane said. The cork flew off the bottle and purple smoke gushed from inside it. It surrounded her and she felt as if she were the smoke. Before she could act, she began to be sucked inside the bottle. As she went through the top of the bottle, Mab reached with all her might and smacked Zardane hard in the face. He fell hard to the ground and was instantly knocked unconscious.

She might not have been able to harm him she thought, as the last of the smoke poured back into the bottle and she reformed about six foot tall in a Arabian style palace bedroom, but at least she wouldn't see that bastard's face for at least a week. The crystal stopper stuck itself in the bottle and sealed Mab inside, leaving her with only her thoughts and the feeling of smug self-satisfaction of her last action as a free woman.

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_Mab's a genie, oh no. What will Zardane do when he recovers? Will Mab screw up his wishes? Find out in the next chapter of I Dream Of Mab!_

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2009 kingheartroxas


	3. Chapter 3

I Dream Of Mab

A Merlin Fan Fiction

* * *

_Merlin is owned by Hallmark Entertainment_

_This is set after the original movie. Merlin's Apprentice is non-canonical in this alternate universe_

* * *

Chapter 3

Mab stood in her new home and looked around. The decoration was beautiful for its theme but for Mab, a person used to archaic caves and medieval architecture, she didn't feel it met her expectations. She didn't mind the harem style dress too much, at least it was purple she thought.

Mab wondered if she was able to use her new magic in her bottle. It turned out that she could and within five minutes, had made the bottle look how she wanted it. Like the castle she used to reside in with Mordred, Morgan le Fay and Frik. For a second, she wondered how Frik was, but she put the thought to the back of her mind for the moment. She didn't have time to wonder about the status of former employees. Mab had learned from experience that fighting destiny head on with no plan never got her anywhere so if she was ever going to escape, she needed to learn how to use her new power to her advantage. Only then would she stand a chance to escape the bottle forever.

She picked up some books that were on the shelf and read through them. She found that she remembered the information a lot faster than she could before but she supposed different magic had different advantages. After she had read everything visible, she decided to have a quick sleep. After all, there wasn't much else to do at the moment.

Mab didn't know how long she had been asleep. The next thing she knew, she was flying through the air at an incredible speed bouncing off the walls of the bottle. Zardane was awake, she thought. And probably pissed off at what she had done. She stopped on the floor for a split second. Then, the bottles stopper was removed and a cyclone of purple smoke ensnared Mab . The cyclone flew out of the bottle and disappeared leaving Mab behind.

"I suppose you thought that was funny did you?" Zardane snapped.

"Yes actually, I did" Mab answered.

Zardane shrugged off the smart alec comment from his new genie and looked her up and down.

"You are a fine one indeed" he said. "Perhaps we shall be wed some day?"

Mab laughed once sarcastically.

"I would rather eat my own vomit" she rasped.

"I wish you would" Zardane quipped back. Mab's eyes widened with shock when she realised what he had done. She clicked her fingers not of her own accord and within seconds, she felt something rising up her throat.

She ran a few feet up the road but unfortunately she was not strong enough to fight off what happened next. She was profusely sick once, twice, three times on the floor and like a puppet, she picked it up with her bony hand, put it in her own mouth and swallowed it. It tasted as bad as it had when she had thrown it up only now she could feel the texture. When all of it was gone, Mab clicked her fingers and the wish had been completely granted. She felt sick and vomited everything she had eaten back on the dirt road. She turned to face Zardane.

"I suppose I deserved that" she said.

"Yes you did my dear, but I was not being serious about getting married" Zardane laughed. "I just wanted to see how you would react"

"Well know you know, please don't repeat the gesture" Mab gasped.

"If you behave, I won't have to" Zardane replied.

Mab felt as though she were a naughty child being disciplined by a mentally challenged adult with the ego the size of an elephant. But she resolved to keep her cool, well as much as possible to not to arouse any suspicion. She suddenly noticed Zardane was staring at her again. How she longed to kick him in his metaphorical as well as physical manhood.

"You know Mab, you really don't fit the part" Zardane said to her. "You just don't look like how a genie should look"

"And who made you the person who decides?" Mab spat. She suddenly realised she had done it again. Only this time, she knew what to expect.

"You did Mab" her master replied. "And you have just given me an idea. I wish that you would resemble the typical female genie stereotype".

Mab had no choice. She clicked her fingers. She was surrounded by flashes of smoke and light and she suddenly began to change. Her purple clothes disappeared and a new pink bikini and thong materialised on her and her breasts increased at least three sizes. Then her hair turned from its usual black to bleached blond, snapped back into a ponytail and a green hairtie held it in place. Suddenly, Mab felt her legs dissolve and a stream of pink smoke was left in its place.

The effects stopped, Mab clicked her fingers and the wish was finalised. Mab floated in her new form. She had to take a look. She flew over to the nearby stream and looked at herself from every possible angle. It was then that Mab noticed she was in a strange place. But for the moment, she was furious about her new transformation.

"Thank you so much Master" she said sarcastically. She didn't have to say the last word but she decided to in order to convey her emotions.

"Very much so" Zardane said. "I saw you looked confused as to your location Mab. Well when I awoke from my concussion, I found a wizard, killed him and his wife and took the wizard's powers. I believe the wizard had an unusual name. I think it was … Merlin"

Mab stood in shock, grief and disbelief for about fifteen seconds. Then she flew at Zardane and punched every inch of his body she could reach. She knew that thanks to her new position, she couldn't fatally wound him but she needed to release her grief somehow.

"You bastard! You killed my son! My only son!" Mab screamed in fury. Zardane was taken aback by this, he hadn't expected Mab to be related to that poor excuse for a wizard. At least in his mind. In the back of his mind, he felt sorrow for what he had done, but his ego and personality pushed it out of his mind as if it were a stray leaf in a winter breeze. He was a decent man in some respects however and waited until Mab was ready to stop.

A few minutes later, Mab was out of breath and emotionally drained. She floated a few feet from Zardane who was covered in bruises but otherwise unharmed.

"I am sorry for your loss Mab" Zardane said, more out of courtesy than actually meaning his words. "If I had known he was your son, I would have maybe considered choosing another. Although he was the only powerful wizard still alive"

Mab suddenly realised something. How could Zardane have taken Merlin's magic. Merlin had no magic, if she ceased to exist, magic ceased to exist as well. At least her own and his own.

"Your son had learned magic from another source. I believe it was known as sorcery" Zardane said. "I took it from him and decided to take back the throne that was stolen from me long before I became a genie all those years ago".

Mab stopped thinking in her own mind for a second and listened to his words. He had been a ruler? Of what kingdom? She knew there were many kingdoms throughout the land but she had never been involved with any of them.

"That is where we are now Mab. Welcome to the kingdom of Sarandhir!" Zardane gestured toward the kingdom only ten feet from where they were stood. Mab looked and had to gasp. It was beautiful. It was exactly like an ancient middle eastern city with white buildings, golden roofed palaces and flying carpets going through the air. It was then that Mab suddenly remembered the name Sarandir. It was the name of the only other kingdom in the world that the Old Ways existed. Although it wouldn't matter if the people believed in it here, she thought. Because they would have had a ruler of their own so even though it existed here, she still ceased to exist.

"Now Mab, it's time for me to show you my new palace" Zardane said and pulled up a sack that seemed to be moving a little. He untied it and a flying carpet with patterns of gold, red and blue flew out and tried to escape. Zardane pointed at the carpet and shouted a command. A bolt of magic struck it and it floated down to the ground. Zardane got on the carpet.

"To my palace!" he said. The carpet lifted off the ground and began to fly slowly but precisely toward the biggest building in the city.

"I have to keep this one under control" he said, pointing at the carpet. "He was the one after all who stole my throne from me". Mab suddenly realised this was no ordinary flying carpet. Zardane had transformed the sultan into a carpet so he could take the throne. Being formerly of royalty, she wasn't exactly the biggest fan of mutiny, as anyone who had tried could tell you. The carpet flew through the window and landed in the throne room of the palace.

It was exceptionally well furnished just like the rest of the city. Zardane shouted a command at the carpet and in a flash of light, it was locked to the ground by iron chains. Mab was stunned and shocked by his treatment of the carpet but she knew to have not expected anything less from Zardane. The sooner he was back in his lamp, the better she thought.

Over the next few days, Mab went back and forth from the bottle, granting Zardane wish after wish after wish. She grew tired of the wishes but she never once show a sign of weakness. But on the seventh day of Zardane's rule, Mab discovered something that shocked and appalled her. Zardane allowed her to fly around the city but had forbidden her to use magic unless he commanded it. She had to obey so she could only observe.

She was flying through the market square when she saw a man in dark grey robes hassling a woman. Mab recognised immediately she was a practitioner of the Old Ways. He drew a curved sword from his robe and impaled the woman upon it saying _'Those who follow the Old Ways must be destroyed!'_ in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. Mab recognised the grey robes as the royal robes which meant only one thing. Zardane had ordered that anyone who followed the Old Ways must be stopped. By any means necessary. Anything else before that had been hard but this was unforgivable. She had to escape. And she would do it today.

She flew back to the throne room. A few of Zardane's staff were in there but thankfully he was not. She floated over to her bottle, picked it up and placed it on the windowsill. She then placed a similar looking bottle in its place by his throne. She knew that as long as no one held the bottle, she was not bound to grant the owners wish. She hoped her plan would work.

Zardane entered the throne room and slumped upon the golden seat. Mab floated over to him.

"I know exactly what you have been doing" Mab said. "How dare you do that to people who worship the Old Ways!"

"The Old Ways are nothing but blasphemy Mab, this new magic allows me to do so much more so the old magic must be extinguished" Zardane retaliated.

Mab punched him in the face. For the first time, it actually hurt. Mab sensed the danger and flew over to the windowsill. Zardane's face flashed with anger and he shouted a command and pointed at her. A sphere of fire appeared from his fingertip and flew toward Mab, she moved out of the way and the bottle fell off the windowsill. Zardane suddenly realised what he done. He looked down at the bottle by his feet and roared in anger.

Suddenly there was a flash of light and Mab was back in her original genie form. She kissed herself. How she had missed her old body. Mab's plan had worked. The bottle had gone more than fifty feet away from its current master so Mab was free from his command.

It was lucky for her; she thought that the throne room was exactly a hundred feet above the ground. She knew that wasn't free of being a genie and it meant she would be sucked back into the bottle but she didn't care. She would find a new master or mistress someday.

Mab was suddenly surrounded by purple smoke and she vanished. The smoke zoomed out of the window and popped back into the bottle. The stopper zoomed from the throne room and stuck itself in the bottle sealing Mab inside once more. Zardane ran to the window and roared once more. He turned to the guards in the room.

"Find that bottle and bring it to me, NOW!" he shouted. The guards left the room without hesitation and left Zardane alone to vent his anger upon the ornaments.

The bottle thankfully didn't hit the ground first; otherwise it would have smashed into a thousand pieces. It hit a piece of cloth that provided shelter from the intense sunlight for a market stall and bounced into a pile of soft rubbish in a dark alleyway. Inside the bottle, Mab picked herself up from the fall. She knew that Zardane would come looking for her but hopefully she thought, she would be able to defend herself when the time came.

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_So Mab has escaped Zardane's clutches. But who will find Mab first? Zardane or a new master/mistress who will help/hinder her further? Find out in the next chapter of 'I Dream Of Mab'!_

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2009 kingheartroxas


	4. Chapter 4

I Dream Of Mab

A Merlin Fan Fiction

* * *

_Merlin is owned by Hallmark Entertainment_

_This is set after the original movie. Merlin's Apprentice is non-canonical in this alternate universe_

* * *

_Thanks to everyone who has inspired me to write this fan-fic! Lildrusilla has been a big inspiration. Check out her Merlin fan fictions if you like this one, particularly 'Illusion of Magic' which is a fantastic combination of Merlin and Labyrinth._

_Thanks for the review Nea-9, I hope that the master Mab gets is sweet and sexy enough for ya!_

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Chapter Four

Mab didn't know how long she had been trapped in the bottle. She had tried to keep herself busy creating illusions of Zardane and destroying them in several different ways but there was only so many times she could enjoy it. Little did she know, it had been seven years since the day the bottle had fallen from the palace and Sarandhir was a very different place.

The streets, once alive with trade were now deserted, the stalls were scattered all over the streets, the wood splintered in so many shapes it was untrue and the cloth stained with the fluids of blood, dirt and certain bodily fluids. The ground was so dry that a drop of water would have given it life.

All the people were now victims of daily raids by Zardane's guards looking for Mab's bottle and if they were found with magical items they were capable to stopping him, they were hung in the bazaar and their heads were placed on the spires of the palace as a warning to anyone who dared to stop their ruler. An embargo had been placed on the town so that if anyone tried to make a wish to stop Zardane, they would be found and taken before Zardane, then Zardane would not hesitate to imprison that person for their 'crime'.

Mab's bottle by some luck circumstance had fallen underneath a cloak that hid magical items that someone had thrown down an alley because they thought it was just a rag. So Zardane remained angry, vengeful and confused. And as each day passed, the innocent people of the town prayed for some kind of miracle whereas the people who thrived on malfeasance and misfortune swarmed through the town helping the guards to make it so their ideal world would last forever.

Exactly seven years and two weeks after that fateful day, a man dressed in torn rags that were once higher class robes ran through the bazaar avoiding the guards. A few drug dealers on the side of the road cheered the guards. He managed to get a few streets ahead of them and saw a few women with veils guarding their features. They knew exactly what was going to happen and so they shouted for him to hide in their tent. The man didn't hesitate and followed them into a pink satin tent held up by sticks of bamboo and twine.

"Thank you ladies for saving my life once again" the man said to them, breathing heavily.

"It is quite alright sire, A man of your position should not have to run" a woman with a blue veil said.

The man knew that the women recognised him as the son of the ruler of Sarandhir. His mother, when Zardane had taken over had escaped the palace taking him with her. His mother had believed her husband dead and told her son this. After grieving for a while, the two exiled royals went from place to place until the fateful day that his mother died.

So from then on, he travelled alone. He had come to this area of the city only a few weeks ago and when the women had saved his life the third time, he revealed his identity to them when he felt that he could trust them enough. The women, who wanted nothing more than Zardane gone, gladly accepted him into their circle, giving him access to things that a man should never access in order to keep him safe.

This time he tried to infiltrate the palace and failed, much to his disgust. The women tended his wounds and repaired his sword which had been rusted for some time but now had snapped in two. When he had been looked after and was sure there were no guards in the area, he thanked them most humbly and left. The sun had gone down and the moon was high in the starless yonder.

The man went to the nearby lake and stared down into the water. A medium build yet thin man was reflected in the water, he had a tiny scar above his nose and his brown hair was ruffled but at the same time styled. His pale green eyes stared into the water and sighed. He looked up at the moon and sighed. He picked up a locket that hung around his neck, there was a engraving was of him and his mother and father in front of the palace. As he looked at it, he remembered his mother's last words to him as if they had been spoken only seconds before.

"_There will come a day when this locket shall be needed, never forget who you are Nazir, my only son"_

"I will never forget, mother" the man said aloud. Even if it took the rest of his life, he, Nazir, son of Faruel and Mysta, would claim back his throne. He decided to take a shortcut back to the empty house at the end of the bazaar where he slept every night. He walked through the dark alley between the houses and after five feet down the road tripped over something on the floor.

Nazir rose to his feet and turned around. Under the moonlight, there seemed to be a thin cloth that was barely visible. He picked up the corner of the cloth and pulled it away. There on the floor, was a purple bottle with a stopper in it. Nazir recognised it immediately, it was a genie bottle. He knew that he couldn't make a wish, at least not at first. He picked up the bottle and pulled the cork from it.

Purple smoke gushed from it and formed into Mab. She stood on the floor of the alleyway and bowed before her new master. She didn't want to it was just the way genies had to exit their bottles, much to her disgust. She looked around with a ferocious look on her face trying to see if she could see Zardane but there was no one around, except a very handsome youth. And he was holding her bottle in his hands.

Mab felt a sense of relief he had never felt in her life. Even though, for the last seven years she had been angry at Zardane, her attitude towards mortals had changed somewhat. She no longer considered them selfish and self-absorbed. Having been in the bottle for so long, he had been able to learn to focus her magic so she could see the outside world.

She had seen the evils of the world; she didn't have to look too hard to see those. But she also saw the kind and generous side of them, the side that she had seldom come across as Queen of the Old Ways. Back in those days, people used the Old Ways as a status symbol of sorts, to give themselves meaning or a higher purpose.

The most important thing that she had learned was that she herself had been guilty of Zardane's crime, wanting to own great power whatever the cost. She had decided that although she couldn't change her nature as such, she understood why people acted the way they did and if someone was worthy of being treated fairly by her, she would treat them fairly in return. But as she hardly knew her new master, she decided for the moment to be the person she had been before, to test them and see if they were worthy of her newfound kindness.

"You have released the genie of the bottle, what is your wish?" she asked. The tone was bitter and resentful but yet Mab said it of her own free will. Maybe with age, she didn't need to say things automatically. Nazir looked at her and she at him. Nazir was stunned, although he had seen far more beautiful women than Mab, she was by far the most attractive woman he had ever seen. He didn't think he had a type per se, now he had found his.

"Pleased to meet you" he said, shaking Mab's hand. "My name is Nazir"

Mab was surprised, very surprised. Although she had seen the kind side, she wasn't expecting someone to show it when faced with an all-powerful genie. Then suddenly, she looked into the eyes. In that moment, Mab was suddenly filled with a feeling of happiness more than she had ever felt in her life.

"Mab, my name is Mab" she stuttered. Mab had never really known love so she didn't know if this was the start of it. She would have to wait and see. Nazir looked back at her, he had fallen for many of the women he had seen travelling the city but never before had he found a woman he loved on first sight. He didn't know if it was love, he would have to be patient. Both of them coughed and stopped holding hands.

"So Nazir what is your wish?" Mab asked, she was back to her old self in a minute although the feelings still remained.

"I cannot wish right now" Nazir replied regretfully.

Mab was surprised. So this pompous street rat thought he could push her off? Well no dice.

"I suppose you think you're too good for me?" she spat.

"It's not that, it's just my mother told me never to trust a genie" Nazir replied.

Mab's anger flared.

"And why not?" she snapped. "There are plenty of people in the world you shouldn't trust"

Nazir stared at her for a second. He couldn't believe how petty and judgemental she was.

"It's not that I don't want to make a wish, I just can't" he yelled.

Mab looked at her grief stricken face and her mood calmed instantly.

"Why can't you?" she asked, as her anger had gone, her tone had softened significantly.

"The sultan Zardane has put a embargo on the city, if anyone makes a wish, they will be taken before him and imprisoned"

Mab was shocked by this. She knew Zardane had been cruel but was he that desperate to find her that he had embargoed the city and imprisoned so many innocent people? For the first time, she felt regret that she had escaped. Nazir noticed something was troubling her and put his arm around her.

"What's wrong Mab?" he asked her with concern in his voice.

Mab looked at him, tears were filling her eyes. She was confused that she was feeling these emotions but it didn't matter how, the important thing was that she was feeling them.

"It's all my fault" she said sniffing slightly. "I should have never tried to escape in the first place"

Mab meant escape non-existence but Nazir didn't know what she meant in any case.

"What do you mean?" he asked her.

"I… I was a queen of the old ways in Britain long ago" Mab said managed to keep her emotions in check. "But because everyone stopped believing in it, I ceased to exist"

Mab didn't know why she was talking about everything to Nazir when she hardly knew him but she had to talk to someone. Nazir was slightly taken aback; he had expected a cold heartless genie who would do nothing except trick him, not a woman who felt sorrow and regret for something that she or others had done. He stroked her hair and let her continue.

"Then I found an old lamp in the dimension of non-existence, I rubbed it and a genie appeared. He got us out of the non-existence but he turned me into a human. I was furious and threw his lamp on the floor. It bounced and smashed and he poured out of it in a terrible rage. He sent me back to non-existence but I begged him to give me power so I could exist. He gave me his powers so I became a genie and he became mortal. Then he put me in the bottle and came here. He took over the land and made everything like it is. I managed to escape but now thanks to me, this whole kingdom is destroyed!" Mab suddenly broke down and started sobbing into Nazir's chest. She had never felt such sorrow in all her life but she was glad to be letting it out.

Nazir was shocked by her story and angry that she had caused the destruction of his kingdom. But she was sorry for what she had done so he could not be angry at her. He felt her cry until she stopped and she pulled away slightly.

"I'm so sorry Nazir, you shouldn't have had to listen to me" Mab said.

"It's ok Mab. I know you didn't mean for any of this to happen, you were a different woman then but you have changed. That is why we are going to find a way to stop Zardane. Are you with me?" Nazir held out his hand. At the moment, Mab realised what a fool she had been. All this time she was trying to get revenge by force on her own, she knew that somehow, she and Nazir would find a way to stop him. She knew that her anger was strong, but her resolve to put things right was stronger.

"I'm with you" said Mab and shook his hand.

"Now then" said Nazir "We'd best be getting back to my home"

Mab and Nazir walked through the alley and up the stairs of the abandoned house. Mab thought the place needed work but it would do for now. She smiled and turned to face her new master.

"Thank you so much" she said.

"It's ok Mab, we all deserve a second chance" said Nazir.

When Nazir went to sleep, she went back into her bottle and got ready for bed herself. As she closed her eyes and waited to fall asleep, she wondered if she could ever truly be forgiven. But as Nazir had rightfully said, everyone deserves a second chance. And she wasn't going to waste hers.

_Mab does have a heart! What will she and Nazir plan to stop Zardane? How will they get round the wishing embargo? Find out in the fifth chapter of 'I Dream Of Mab'!_

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2009 kingheartroxas


	5. Chapter 5

I Dream Of Mab

A Merlin Fan Fiction

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_Merlin is owned by Hallmark Entertainment_

_This is set after the original movie. Merlin's Apprentice is non-canonical in this alternate universe_

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Chapter Five

Mab awoke to find the sun shining through the windows of the bottle. She smiled, stood up and stretched. It was amazing that she felt better this morning than she had in a very long time. If Mab had to put a finger on it, With a click of her fingers, smoke swirled around the bottle and she zoomed out and appeared on the floor about three feet from it.

There was a creaking noise and Mab turned in the direction of it. Nazir was stood at the window of the room staring out at the sunrise. She walked over and joined him.

"Sleep well?" Nazir asked her.

"Very well" Mab replied.

"This is the best time in the day for me" Nazir said. "I can look out of the window and not be in danger of being seen. Because the guards don't appear till the sun has risen at the earliest"

Mab appreciated the fact he was being so honest and open with her. If there was one thing she couldn't stand it was people taking advantage of her or people keeping secrets.

"I really appreciate you treating me as a person and not an object" she said.

"Why would I treat you like an object when you care so much about other people?" Nazir replied in a soft comforting tone. Mab knew that he wasn't trying to patronize and laughed softly. Nazir smiled and turned out to face the city once more.

"So what are we going to do?" Mab asked her friend. She didn't want to call him master and she wouldn't unless he asked her to.

"We'll have to find a way around the embargo" Nazir said. "I'm sure there's some weakness but I don't know what it is"

"We'll have to do some research then" Mab said. "But where is another thing all together"

"There's an old place where they keep all the books in the city, but how are we going to get there?" Nazir asked her.

Mab thought for a second, her recollection of the genie laws stated that if a master allows it, a genie can use its magic without having to use a wish. She explained this to Nazir and he smiled.

"Do you think that would break the embargo?" he asked her.

"Unlikely, he probably thought some idiot would make a wish and he'd find me straight away. I'm sure the embargo wouldn't endorse that. But I can only do simple things like moving objects in the same room and simple charms" Mab explained.

"Well there's only one way to find out" Nazir said. "Mab, you can use your magic anytime for any reason apart from those that are forbidden"

Mab sighed. She felt as though she could use simple magic once again. The only things that were forbidden were killing any living thing and influencing human emotions but she wouldn't do that anyway. At least not to an innocent person like Nazir.

"Well the first thing we are going to have to do is change our clothes" said Mab. But she couldn't conjure new clothes without a wish. Nazir went to a cupboard and pulled out some fairly ordinary peasant clothes.

"Will these do?" he asked.

"They're perfect" laughed Mab. She clicked her fingers and Nazir was wearing a blue merchants vest with white silk pantaloons whereas Mab was wearing a red satin dress with a pale pink veil draped back over her hair.

"Why Mab, you look stunning" Nazir said to her. Mab smiled and blushed.

"You don't look so bad yourself" She purred back. She suddenly remembered something important. She clicked her fingers and a small cloth bag came out of the cupboard and into his hand.

"What did you get this for?" Nazir asked her.

"So you can keep the bottle with you. If I go fifty feet from the bottle, I get sucked back in" Mab explained to him. Nazir knew that would set off the guards within seconds so he took the bag and placed it in a pocket in the vest. Mab looked in fascination as the bottle seemed to go through the pocket and disappear.

"Magic pockets" her friend explained. She rolled her eyes. The two nodded and they set off through the bazaar. The trip was fairly painless. A few tipsy men tried to hit on her but she clicked her fingers behind her back and they went flying into a barrel of water by a broken reservoir. About fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the building that Nazir had described.

"No one goes in here much so it should be ok" he said to Mab. She smiled and the two walked into the building being careful to mind the door that had fallen over in the reception area. They split up and took a letter each, when they had done each letter, they moved on to the one after the person before was currently searching.

Mab eventually got to the E section. She came across a book labelled _Embargos – How They Work and How to Break Them_ by Furbid Envord. She laughed at the pun in the title and called to Nazir, he laughed when he saw the title like she had done and the two opened it to the index page.

Clearly Zardane didn't know about this book otherwise he would have destroyed it, Nazir thought to himself as he read. He knew that Mab was thinking exactly the same thing. They finally got the page entitled _Situations Where an Embargo Is Nulled or Broken_. The passage read…

_There are a number of circumstances where all embargos are broken. The first is if an embargo is triggered during the tween time. The second is if the person who made the embargo is destroyed and the final one is for the person who made the embargo breaks the spell. The person who made the embargo will not be aware it has been broken if they do not command it gone themselves. Once an embargo is broken, the same one cannot be done again._

The two looked up from the book at each other.

"What the hell does that mean?" Mab wondered.

"The tween time, I guess it could mean thirteen?" Nazir asked her. Mab thought it was a good guess but it wasn't the answer. There must be some clue. She kicked the bookshelf slightly out of frustration and a book fell down and nearly hit her on the head. It was a book labelled _Tweens and What They Are _by Neiver Earothar.

"Why would that be there?" Nazir wondered.

"Probably been put under surname instead of title" Mab said. She opened the book and came to the page where all the definitions were listed.

_The tween time is the minute between one day the next. From the last half minute of the day before to the first half minute of the day after._

"So if we make a wish during the last thirty seconds of the day and the first thirty seconds of the next, the embargo will be broken?" Mab wondered aloud.

"Precisely" said Nazir. "If only we had a way of telling the time so we'd know when to do it"

It was a good question, if they got it wrong by even a second, they would be discovered, Nazir would be for the chop and she would be serving that prick once more. A gust of wind came through the room and blew the book to another page.

_For the tween time in magical countries such as Sarandhir, the moon will glow a bright red._

"I always wondered why it did that" Nazir said.

"We'd better get out of there before a guard comes looking" Mab reasoned. Nazir nodded and the two left the library, putting the books back on the shelf as they did so.

Meanwhile, back at the palace, Zardane was sat on the throne with his feet rested upon the magic carpet. It was straining to keep him afloat for he was trying to make his feet touch the floor on purpose. The carpet knew if he did, he would be beaten by the guards.

Zardane beckoned one of his guards to come before him.

"Still no luck finding the genie?" he asked him.

The guard was shivering in fear. He shook his head. Zardane laughed manically and before the guard could take his next breath, Zardane had taken his sword and sliced his head from his body. His head hit the floor with a crunch and his body slumped to the floor, blood pouring from the neck over the patterned tiles and flowing into the fountain that Zardane used as a toilet.

"And if you haven't found her by the next time I ask, that'll be all your heads!" Zardane bellowed. The guards left the room as fast as they could and ran away from the cackling insane laughter that echoed throughout the palace.

Back at Nazir's room, the two waited for the sun to set. They spoke of each other's lives, loves, regrets and successes. Mab felt a real connection with Nazir. He understood her and made her feel whole. Something she had never felt before. Nazir felt the same way, all those women he had made love to were nothing but camels compared to Mab. He wanted her more than he knew and she wanted him more than she could even imagine.

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, Nazir noticed the moon was red.

"Shit!" he shouted. "It's now or never Mab"

Mab was daydreaming about her and Nazir together, but as soon as her mind made the connection she was on her feet ready.

"Fire away" Mab said. Nazir spoke the next line like he had spoken it a thousand times.

"I wish that the embargo made by Zardane would be broken"

Mab raised her hand to click her fingers but she froze, shaking.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"What if I click at the wrong time?" she said. "Then we'll all be doomed"

"You won't Mab, you can do this" Nazir said. He was trying to convince her but it wasn't working. Nazir knew that if ever there was a time when she needed this, it was now. He walked over to her, held her face in his arms and touched his lips upon hers.

Mab was so shocked but the fact she was being kissed by Nazir that her fear left her and she was filled with a sudden wave of self-confidence. When her emotions were at biting point, she clicked her fingers. Nazir removed his lips from hers and stood there breathing slightly heavier than usual.

Mab was still recovering from the shock. But she didn't feel angry or confused. It had felt right. She knew now what love was, and she had found it in Nazir. She looked over at the moon and it was still red. About five seconds later, it changed back to its normal lunar white. They had done it. The embargo was broken. At least it should have be, she thought.

"What happened if someone made a wish before the embargo was broken?" Mab asked in a slightly breathy overwhelmed voice.

"A massive alarm noise would activate until a guard slapped a hand on his wrist" Nazir replied still breathing like a cat in heat.

"Make another wish then, so we can see" Mab said.

"I wish that an apple would appear" Nazir said. Mab clicked her fingers and an apple appeared ten feet in the air and fell to the floor. No alarm sounded, no guards appeared, no Zardane. The embargo was broken. The two looked at each other, finally recognising their feelings for one another. They wrapped each other in a tight lovers embrace.

"I love you Mab" Nazir said to his friend.

Mab hesistated for a moment, but she knew her own heart and it was telling her what he wanted to hear in that instant.

"I love you Nazir" she replied.

The two joined their lips and they didn't stop until the sun came up. They had taken the first step in what was no doubt going to be an interesting relationship, they still had a job to do but it was going to be a lot easier now that they were perfectly synchronised.

"Did you enjoy that?" Nazir asked his beloved.

"It was the best night of my life" Mab replied.

"I'll try to be as good tomorrow night then" Nazir flirted.

The two yawned at that moment. They suddenly realised they hadn't been to bed. They were going to need all the strength they could muster for when they infiltrated the palace. But as both Nazir and Mab dreamed their respective dreams, there was only one thing on their minds. Each other.

_Will Mab and Nazir remain in love? Will Zardane behead any more guards? And what plans will be made to storm the palace? Find out in the sixth chapter of 'I Dream of Mab'!_

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2009 kingheartroxas


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